Information processing device, information processing method, program, and storage medium

1. An information processing device capable of accessing point management information, the point management information separately managing, as points available for purchasing an item or a service, limited-time points having expiration dates and normal points having no expiration date or a longer expiration date than the limited-time points, the information processing device comprising: at least one memory configured to store computer program code; and at least one processor configured to access said at least one memory and operate according to said computer program code, said computer program code including: purchase order reception code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to: provide a user interface configured to: i) receive a setting of an upper point usage limit, and ii) receive an activation of a button; receive, via the user interface, a selection of a payment method, the setting of the upper point usage limit, and the activation of the button; point count setting code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to set, for a scheduled purchase, the upper point usage limit, the scheduled purchase being a purchase scheduled to be executed a period of time after a purchase order, the upper point usage limit being a predetermined upper limit of a number of points to be used, wherein the predetermined upper limit is determined before a commencement of a series purchase; discount payment code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to control a payment for the scheduled purchase so that the payment is executed at a discount based on the upper point usage limit, based on the point management information; limited-time point count notifier code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to: determine, for the scheduled purchase for which the upper point usage limit is set, a number of limited-time points scheduled to be used or a number of limited-time points scheduled not to be used based on the point management information and the upper point usage limit, and notify a user by a first e-mail to a registered e-mail address of a user or on a first predetermined web page of an electronic commerce website of the number of limited-time points scheduled to be used before the scheduled purchase is executed, thereby relieving the user's burden of checking the limited-time points for the expiration dates; and revision suggestion notifier code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to: obtain, when, as the scheduled purchase, the scheduled purchase in the series purchase is executed, a first number of the user's points at a time of the scheduled purchase, and give the user a notice by a second e-mail to the registered e-mail address of the user or on a second predetermined web page of the electronic commerce website, wherein the notice is configured to suggest revising the upper point usage limit based on a magnitude of a difference between the obtained number of the user's points and the upper point usage limit, the series purchase including a plurality of purchases of an item or a service in one set.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the limited-time point count notifier code is further configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to: determine whether there is another scheduled purchase to be executed before the scheduled purchase in question, and if there is the another scheduled purchase, determine the number of limited-time points scheduled to be used for the scheduled purchase in question or the number of limited-time points scheduled not to be used, based on a number of limited-time points scheduled to be used for the another scheduled purchase.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein a number of limited-time points available at purchase time is the number of limited-time points available for the scheduled purchase in question, the limited-time point count notifier code is further configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to: make a first determination whether the number of limited-time points available at purchase time is greater than or equal to a price of the item or the service subject to the scheduled purchase and the upper point usage limit set for the scheduled purchase is greater than or equal to the price of the item or the service, if a first positive result is obtained by the first determination, select the price of the item or the service as the number of limited-time points scheduled to be used, make a second determination whether the upper point usage limit set for the scheduled purchase is less than the price of the item or the service and the number of limited-time points available at purchase time is greater than or equal to the upper point usage limit set for the scheduled purchase, if a second positive result is obtained by the second determination, select the upper point usage limit set for the scheduled purchase as the number of limited-time points scheduled to be used, and if negative results are obtained in both the first determination and the second determination, select the number of limited-time points available at purchase time as the number of limited-time points scheduled to be used.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the revision suggestion notifier code is further configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to, when a scheduled purchase in the series purchase is executed, determine whether the difference between a number of the user's points and the upper point usage limit occurs, and gives the notice based on a frequency of occurrence of the difference.

5. An information processing method for an information processing device capable of accessing point management information, the point management information separately managing, as points available for purchasing an item or a service, limited-time points having expiration dates and normal points having no expiration date, the information processing method comprising: providing a user interface configured to: i) receive a setting of an upper point usage limit, and ii) receive an activation of a button; receiving, via the user interface, a selection of a payment method, the setting of the upper point usage limit, and the activation of the button; setting, after the activation of the button and for a scheduled purchase, the upper point usage limit in accordance with the receiving the setting of the upper point usage limit, the scheduled purchase being a purchase scheduled to be executed a period of time after a purchase order, the upper point usage limit being a predetermined upper limit of a number of points to be used, wherein the predetermined upper limit is determined before a commencement of a series purchase; controlling a payment for the scheduled purchase so that the payment is executed at a discount based on the set upper point usage limit, based on the point management information; determining, for the scheduled purchase for which the upper point usage limit is set, a number of limited-time points scheduled to be used or a number of limited-time points scheduled not to be used based on the point management information and the upper point usage limit, the number of limited-time points scheduled to be used being a number of the limited-time points scheduled to be used for the scheduled purchase, the number of limited-time points scheduled not to be used being a number of the limited-time points scheduled not to be used for the scheduled purchase; notifying a user by a first e-mail to a registered e-mail address of a user or on a first predetermined web page of an electronic commerce website of the number of limited-time points scheduled to be used before the scheduled purchase is executed, thereby relieving the user's burden of checking the limited-time points for the expiration dates; obtaining, when, as the scheduled purchase, a scheduled purchase in the series purchase is executed, a number of a user's points at a time of the scheduled purchase, the series purchase including a plurality of purchases of an item or a service in one set; and giving the user a notice by a second e-mail to the registered e-mail address of the user or on a second predetermined web page of the electronic commerce website, wherein the notice is configured to suggest revising the upper point usage limit based on a magnitude of a difference between the obtained number of the user's points and the upper point usage limit, the series purchase including a plurality of purchases of an item or a service in one set.

6. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for causing an information processing device capable of accessing point management information separately managing, as points available for purchasing an item or a service, limited-time points having expiration dates and normal points having no expiration date or a longer expiration date than the limited-time points to perform a process, and for causing the information processing device to: provide a user interface configured to: i) receive a setting of an upper point usage limit, and ii) receive an activation of a button; receive, via the user interface, a selection of a payment method, the setting of the upper point usage limit, and the activation of the button; set, after the activation of the button and for a scheduled purchase, the upper point usage limit in accordance with the receiving the setting of the upper point usage limit, the scheduled purchase being a purchase scheduled to be executed a period of time after a purchase order, the upper point usage limit being a predetermined upper limit of a number of points to be used, wherein the predetermined upper limit is determined before a commencement of a series purchase; control a payment for the scheduled purchase so that the payment is executed at a discount based on the set upper point usage limit, based on the point management information; determine, for the scheduled purchase for which the upper point usage limit is set, a number of limited-time points scheduled to be used or a number of limited-time points scheduled not to be used based on the point management information and the upper point usage limit, the number of limited-time points scheduled to be used being a number of the limited-time points scheduled to be used for the scheduled purchase, the number of limited-time points scheduled not to be used being a number of the limited-time points scheduled not to be used for the scheduled purchase; notify a user by a first e-mail to a registered e-mail address of a user or on a first predetermined web page of an electronic commerce website of the number of limited-time points scheduled to be used before the scheduled purchase is executed before the scheduled purchase is executed, thereby relieving the user's burden of checking the limited-time points for the expiration dates; obtain, when, as the scheduled purchase, a scheduled purchase in the series purchase is executed, a first number of a user's points at a time of the scheduled purchase, the series purchase including a plurality of purchases of an item or a service in one set; and give the user a notice by a second e-mail to the registered e-mail address of the user or on a second predetermined web page of the electronic commerce website, wherein the notice is configured to suggest revising the upper point usage limit based on a magnitude of a difference between the obtained number of the user's points and the upper point usage limit, the series purchase including a plurality of purchases of an item or a service in one set.

7. The information processing method of claim 5 , further comprising: providing a third web page illustrating an item image of an item, an item name, an item price, and a first button for placing a series purchase order of the item; providing a fourth web page illustrating a selectable delivery cycle of the item; and receiving a first user input on the fourth web page indicating a selected delivery cycle of the item, wherein the setting of the upper point usage limit is associated with the item price of the third web page, and wherein the giving the user notice by the second e-mail or on the second predetermined web page comprises giving the notice when the difference has, in a predetermined number of consecutive occurrences, exceeded a predetermined threshold.